Our laws are quite 'fun' to play with philosophically:
We have a law in the UK that will prosecute you if you abandon your child and head off to Spain for a holiday. This law is based purely upon a moral situation - the premise being that you have a duty to aid your offspring even if natural law argues against it (cuckoos think nothing of abandoning their babies).
How would you respond to the following situation?
You are a brilliant swimmer in full health and someone is drowning in the water next to you. Should you help them? Do you in fact have a public duty to help them? Do you have a moral duty to help them? Should there therefore be a public law (with punishment for non-compliance) forcing you to help them?
We have plenty of laws that are like this (You can become culpable if you fail to report a serious crime for example.)
Now move this to serious ground - you are a minster and someone confesses abusive practises to you. Do you respect confidentiality? Do you go to the police? Should the law force you to be partially responsible for another's actions? Does knowledge mean you know have a moral duty to act - even if you did not ask for this 'duty? Where is your free will in this situation?
In other words - do you have to jump in and help the drowning person?
Morality laws
by Qcmbr 1 Replies latest jw friends
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Qcmbr
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Sad emo
What a minefield of a question!
I'm not going to answer yes or no but throw a couple of possibilities from my own experience into the fray:
1 - In the RC church, if someone confesses something serious, they are encouraged to submit themselves voluntarily to the appropriate authority or to make reparation to whoever they have wronged. It's seen as an essential part of the process of repentance/forgiveness.
2 - When I started receiving counselling, both the counsellor and myself signed a confidentiality contract - but it has a 'get out' clause where if I admit to anything criminal or my behaviour starts giving cause for medical concern, they are permitted to inform the police or my doctor. This releases them from the moral dilemma of confidentiality - but again, they would encourage me to take action of my own accord.
So maybe its not a case of jumping in to save the drowning person - just throwing them a lifejacket!